THIS week’s New Music Radar features some of the best emerging acts in Scotland including Nasari, Scarlett Randle and more. A mixed bag of punk, singer/songwriter and the first new music in two years from indie-powerhouse Temples.
Nasari ‘Ghosts’
A vital and searing return from the outfit, it’s almost as if the band are trying to exorcise some demons over the track’s three and a half minutes. They say: “it’s inspired by being scared of something like ghosts and yet longing to see one and encounter one.” Continuously prodding the boundaries of menacing post-punk, grunge and almost spooky psychedelia, Nasari are a band carving out their own lane and flourishing in it. The band’s latest instalment is driven by a pulsing Joy Division-style bassline. Brimming with a nervous, feverish energy and palpable sense of urgency, the song lurches to life with some fuzz-laden guitar lines and a raw, searing vocal performance from Ewan Mackie. Almost maniacal as it rushes towards the finish line, the track is said to have been written when Mackie was “in Amsterdam and diving deep into the paranormal”.
Fiendz YT ‘Speed in My Coffee’
Glasgow punk outfit Fiendz YT marked their return with the rallying sound of ‘Speed in My Coffee’. The follow-up to ‘Tesco Elvis’, Fiendz YT continued to display their flare for punk songwriting, treating listener to this 100mph treat. With fat bass, pounding drums and mesmerisingly snarly vocals, ‘Speed in My Coffee’ appears a homage to the most notable names in punk. Channeling the aggressive nature of the genre at its finest, combining it with a peppering of songwriting sensibility that makes this track not only a rousing call, but catchy, almost becoming a riotous hymn within Scotland’s thriving punk scene.
Temples ‘Hot Motion’
Temples marked their return this week with the first taste of new music in two years. The aptly titled ‘Hot Motion’ is a desert-sounding slice of almost psychedelic indie-dance. Drifting from charging, T-Rex-style verses, into a dream-like state of swooning keyboards and choir-like vocals, this song perfectly marries the two elements core to their sound. Thumping indie guitars, and experimental instrumentation creating an immersive sound that flows through the entire track. This first glimpse of Temple’s upcoming album, due for release in September, proves that after time away, this indie outfit are back with a bang.
CHARLOTTE ‘Nowhere to Hide’ EP
Having already released two singles from this EP, CHARLOTTE has revealed this shining collection of experimental pop. Hailing from Hull, this 21-year-old singer-songwriter has worked with some of the creatives behind Beyonce, Adele, Lana Del Rey and Frank Ocean, pulling songwriting elements and instrumentation into a diverse collection of tracks. With pounding percussion, dreamy vocals and swooning synths, this EP delivers a pop sound with a diverse edge, something both catchy and intriguing.
Heavy Rapids ‘Cash in Hand’ EP
Following the release of ‘Going Down’ and ‘Paisley Pattern’ earlier this year, the four-piece punk outfit have unveiled the entire contents of the ‘Cash In Hand’ EP. A band renowned for a breaks-off, foot-down approach to songwriting, Heavy Rapids have brought their punk-ethos even further with this release, showing an even greater level of musicianship. Opening on the spiralling sound of ‘Going Down’, this four-track EP throws listeners through a haze of noise, aggression and guitar-induced euphoria. Central to this EP is a sense of originality. Weaving between the snarling sounds of the tracks are intricate, haunting guitar lines, rallying cries and poignant lyrics that leave listeners feeling this is much much more than four fast-paced punk tunes.
Baby Strange ‘Viewpoint’
With 2 sold out Glasgow shows, and a third added, on their upcoming tour, the anticipation around what Baby Strange have in store for the rest of 2019 has been high, and the three-piece have dropped their first new music of the year with ‘Viewpoint’. In typical Baby Strange fashion, this track boasts an intense, menacing sound. With punk-influence flowing throughout the tune, layered upon with anthemic, uniting vocals. Clocking in at just over two and a half minutes, the song comes in waves, building and adding more, before dropping back to the minimal verses. With a dirty, trudging sound, finishing in sharp style, Baby Strange have well and truly stamped their return into the ground in intense fashion.
Parliamo ‘Youth’
Perthshire indie outfit Parliamo dropped their first new music of 2019 this week in the form of the rallying, vibrant sound of ‘Youth’. Channeling a more punk-edge than their previous offerings, ‘Youth’ tackles the subject of teenage sex head-on. Singer Jack Dailly said, “Youth is a song about losing your virginity, which never turns out to be the idyllic, Hollywood affair that it’s often made out to be. In this case, it’s a nerve-soaked, drunken haze for both parties, which takes place in the highly sought-after setting of someone’s little brother’s bedroom during a party in a council house on a scheme in the north of Perth.” After an incredible year in 2018, with this first taste of their 2019 sound, Parliamo are set to continue to climb.
